Sunday, March 23, 2014

This BLOGGER shared his personal insights regarding our incredible claims as members of the church. Mormonism is either one of the biggest frauds in human history or it is the second most important thing to ever happen on this planet. Let me be clear and immediately state that I believe the most important event to ever take place on this earth was the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know the first statement is a bold one, but let me try to explain why its true…

Mormonism makes a bold claim, which is why they also take a lot of heat from other Christian religions. They believe that Jesus Christ established His Church when he was on the earth. That Paul wasn’t kidding when he said that there was “One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism” (Eph 4:5). They believe that before Christ was killed, he bestowed the priesthood upon Peter and the apostles. (Matt 16:19) They were ordained and set apart by Christ himself. (John 15:16) That the apostles held a power that could not be purchased with money, (Acts 8) or acquired at a university. They believe that men should not be paid for their ministry in the gospel which is why they spend countless hours on missions and in various church callings without receiving any monetary gain. (1 Cor 9:18)

As time went on in the first century, the apostles and the Christians were hunted and scattered by almost every group in the region. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome and Paul was beheaded after his 5th missionary journey. The other apostles met a similar fate with the exception of John the Beloved. Before the apostles died, all they did was travel and write to the various churches (who were all actually one church with different locations) in order to keep them in line. The New Testament is primarily a collection of those letters in which the apostles are trying to govern the church. With them gone and no one to lead the church, men began interpreting the scriptures for themselves and twisting the doctrine. Over time, the churches began to fall away from the truth because the apostles were not there to lead them. By 325 AD, the nature of God and the doctrine of the Christian faith was being voted on by pagans in Rome as a political maneuver rather than a religious one. Formal creeds, and a Catholic, or “Universal” church was formed as the state religion for the most powerful country in the world.

If you doubt any of it, I have a 45 volume set of Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene writings sitting on my shelf as a reference. (They are not written or edited by Mormon scholars.) The early Christian fathers witnessed the church fall into deep apostasy and they wrote about it. This is the primary reason for all of the great reformers who came on to the scene to “protest” (protestant) what the Catholic church was doing at the time. No one believed that Christ’s church was found upon the earth, and therefore many sought to reform what they already knew. These were righteous dudes who deserve our respect, but as sincere as they were, they did not have the power to restore the church. They tried their best according to the knowledge they possessed. Many longed for the day when Christ would restore His church and call apostles to lead that Church once again. Roger Williams, the founder of the Baptist church in America said that “there is no regularly constituted church on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking.” (Picturesque America (1872) by William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

This is where Mormons start getting crazy to people. Mormons believe that a prophet as notable as Moses or Elijah was called in 1820 to “restore” Christ’s church in it’s fullness on to this earth. They claim that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in North America. They claim that an ancient record called the Book of Mormon was buried in the earth and that it contains a history of some of the ancient inhabitants of North, South, and Central America. They believe that this nation was established and the revolutionary war was fought so that religious freedom could prevail. They believe that this was and is the only nation on the globe that this restoration could have taken place in because of this newfound religious freedom that had never occurred in the history of the world. They believe that the priesthood was restored, and that families can be sealed together after death. They believe that there is a prophet and 12 apostles that walk the earth today. I won’t go on but there is plenty more…

But think about it for a second. If all of this is false, it would rank as one of the greatest deceptions in human history. It would give new meaning to the word hoax. BUT if this restoration did actually happen and it is true, it is the greatest message that could ever be shared second only to the message of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. IF it is true there could be nothing more exciting for the people on this planet to know at this time. It seems like an outrageous claim, but I guarantee that when Noah starting building an ark, his generation thought that was pretty outrageous as well. When a Prophet is on the earth…few ever accept him. Christ made that very clear when He said, “ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would have accepted the prophets” (Matt 23:29-30)

I am a Mormon for reasons other than logic, but if I was to rely on logic alone… here is my logic on the topic.

Catholicism claims that they are the true church and that they perpetuated the priesthood through the generations. Therefore Catholicism claims that all other protestant and Evangelical churches are nothing but apostate off shoots of the Catholic church. So…you must think to yourself, if the Catholic church is right…and they do have the truth and the priesthood authority to lead and administer Christ’s church, then they are technically right about protestant Christianity. Any church that broke off from them or received the Bible through them cannot have the fullness of the gospel. However, if the Catholic church never had the authority and it was lost in the early centuries shortly after the apostles were killed, then none of the reformers could have the complete truth or the authority because…well…where could they have gotten it from?

The only Church on the planet that could have a solid argument would be one that claims a complete restoration through a prophet that has had direct communication with God. Anything short of that would place someone in the pool of thousands of reformers that are dividing to form new Churches on a daily basis.

Mormon’s make a claim equal to the almost unfathomable stories you might hear in the Bible. Prophets, apostles, miracles, additional scripture, temples, and a massive missionary force makes the Mormon church stick out like a sore thumb…and seldom do people like sore thumbs.

Though it sounds a little crazy… is not a message like this worth a few minutes of consideration? I thought it was…

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute.

Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.

Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

This weekend my husband and I started a new TV series. The plot appealed to both of us and we were excited about being able to watch it together. However, it didn't take very long for us to have to turn our heads, raise our eyebrows and essentially conclude that almost every theme in the show was contrary to the 13th Article of Faith-"If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy we seek after these things." Honestly, none of it was worth seeking after. Even still it was hard to turn off because the show appealed to our carnal minds. Once we turned it off we felt better but even more than that we saw small blessings that made life in our home better. Things we know came from the decision to turn off the show.

The next morning for my scripture study I clicked open my scripture app and there was a conference talk open. As I read I was grateful because it felt like Heavenly Father was sitting me down and talking to me about what had happened the night before. This is the talk that I read, I know that decisions determine destiny. Even though we initially made a poor decision by watching this particular show we were richly blessed for choosing to turn it off. The Lord doesn't hold grudges, as soon as we do what we need to invite the Spirit, the Spirit will come. Enjoy these highlights from the talk:

Decisions for Eternity

October 2013

"A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery—the strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines your moral responses in difficult, tempting, and trying situations. Fasting helps your spirit to develop dominance over your physical appetites. Fasting also increases your access to heaven’s help, as it intensifies your prayers. Why the need for self-mastery? God implanted strong appetites within us for nourishment and love, vital for the human family to be perpetuated.When we master our appetites within the bounds of God’s laws, we can enjoy longer life, greater love, and consummate joy.

It is not surprising, then, that most temptations to stray from God’s plan of happiness come through the misuse of those essential, God-given appetites. Controlling our appetites is not always easy. Not one of us manages them perfectly. Mistakes happen. Errors are made. Sins are committed. What can we do then? We can learn from them. And we can truly repent.

We can change our behavior. Our very desires can change. How? There is only one way. True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He loves you—each of you! He allows you to access His power as you keep His commandments, eagerly, earnestly, and exactly. It is that simple and certain. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of change!

A strong human spirit with control over appetites of the flesh is master over emotions and passions and not a slave to them. That kind of freedom is as vital to the spirit as oxygen is to the body! Freedom from self-slavery is true liberation!"

Saturday, February 8, 2014

MmMmMmmmMM. That's all I have to say for this yummy dinner! The recipe was shared by Brittany Christenson. ****If you have made a really yummy dinner and want to share it on the blog, let me know! It's fun to try new things that are Relief Society Sister approved!***

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Oh la la! Love Day is upon us! Luckily we all have Valentines :) In a perfect world our husbands would have an extravagant surprise planned out and we wouldn't have to do anything. Buuut our husbands are mostly students and they are busy and probably don't even know Valentines Day is this month. So it might be a good idea to have a few Valentine's Day date ideas up your sleeve, am I right? Here are a few fun *special* date ideas! Please share more if you have any other ideas!

Comedy Sportz {$8 per person}: ComedySportz is a hilarious audience interactive-comedy competition between two teams of comedians, who perform a series of scenes and songs, all based on suggestions from you, the audience!

**I have personally gone and was extremely impressed with the clean topics and amazing skill of the comedians. This was VERY fun for both husband and wife. Highly recommended! Tickets can be purchased over the phone, which is a good idea for Valentine's Day weekend because this place will definitely FILL up

36 W Center St, Provo, UT 84601(801) 377-9700

Provo Beach Resort {You choose how much you spend}: These are the different activities they have: laser tag, bowling, miniature croquet, ropes course, flow rider, and a golf simulator. It is new, fun, and creative.

**This place has a Southern California feel! It's new and very family friendly. This place is PACKED with really fun things--you could spend all night here! It's located in the Riverwoods shopping center so when you're done you can stroll the fun shops. When my husband and I went we spent $6 and HAD A BLAST in the arcade.

Nickel City {$2.25 admission}: This is very fun if you just want arcade games. The games would be cheaper than Provo Beach Resort but they only have the arcade games. Located off State Street.

Utah's Hogle Zoo {$9 Per person}: The zoo is in Salt Lake but they are having a Valentines event with the animals on the 14th! **This would be a great activity to do with just your spouse OR with kids! On Valentine's Day there is a craft for kids!
The event is from 10am-1pm.

Color Me Mine {$35-40 total}: This date is a little more expensive but would be GREAT if you are wanting something special, indoors, where you can talk and enjoy your spouses company. How it works is you pick a pottery form, paint it, fire it and KEEP it!

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